problem with that approach is just because someone is a "legend" musically doesn't mean they will be any cop as a judge on a show like this

2 of the biggest names they have had on shows like this were 2 of the worst judges i have ever seen

i do agree about sharon and louis however, they have had their time on the show and apart from being happy to participate in the sort of "fun" you would normally expect in a bad pantomime, i really dont see what they add to the show now. if people are happy to watch the show to see louis scream "NOOOOOO simon" when he criticises one of louis's acts and call that "fun" then they have a very different definition of that word than i do.

I can put up with Simon i think they need louis and Sharon back but nicole annoyed me i think they need to keep rita

Mika is leaving X Factor Italia. So I think that he could be someone for the UK panel.

I know something

Rita is making a film and might not be able to commit to the x factor

Nicole coming back could be a reason why Cheryl left.

Nah louis was the reason for cheryl to leave

Mark the producer just sent Nicole a tweet with a picture of her & Sharon on the panel..... sign maybe?

Mel c has just quit the spice girls reunion could she be judging

Rita quits?

Pensioner panel doesn't sound very promising

Only Nicole has any musical knowledge out of that motley bunch.

You might think that Simon just came out of nowhere when he first appeared on Pop Idol but he actually worked his way up in the music business and had worked with many big-name artists before being a TV talent judge.

Rita's gone so has Cheryl

So itl be Simon Shazza Louis Nicole or someone completely new

So long as it ain't Dannii! Can't stand her as a judge

Maybe Alesha might come on board.

Why would she move from BGT to XF? That's like selling your Ferrari in favour of a Vauxhall Astra.

A Simon/Louis/Sharon/Nicole panel would be a lot of fun but thinking of the song choices already makes me cringe. At least Grimmy/Cheryl/Rita had a lot of fresh and unique picks last year.

If ousting everyone they introduced last year isn't proof that they know last year's changes were awful then I don't know what is.

Simon will be sat on the panel until the axe falls, too arrogant to consider that maybe he is part of the problem.

I Hope not, she was pretty awful on the Joseph panel! I'm putting my money on one of the 1D boys (Louis probably, hence Cheryl's departure), and a female pop star (I'd put money on Kesha being right at the top of Simon's 'want' list)! I honestly don't think Simon learnt anything from the failures of last year, and suspect he still thinks the younger, 'current' panelists are the way to go. He also still has this weird 'all women hate each other' theory (or rather, it's something he continues to sell to the media as a reporting angle), and will put a second 'diva female' on the panel for pure headline-grabbing effort, so they can try and dominate the entertainment news cycle with 'x and y hate each other'!

Also, yes this so very, very much! A Simon-free panel would actually be the single biggest refresher for the show. I don't think there should be any cross-over in XF and BGT - he works on BGT because the chemistry is spot-on, and the average age of both the panel and viewers trends higher.

Rumours that Nicole might be taking Cats to Broadway in Autumn.

Surely Alesha Dixon has to be an option.

It looks like it will be Simon Sharon Nicole and Louis Walsh.
i don't believe Louis from 1D is joining x factor this year, at the moment it might be those 4 judges Simon Sharon Nicole and Louis Walsh. who will be on x factor this year, and i don't think viewing ratings will improve because people are sick to death with x factor being on for a very long time

That's really not the reason though - Strictly has been on air for a similar length of time, has just won it's first BAFTA, and shows little sign of fatigue. The show (whilst it will always have its critics) manages to stay just the right side of interesting and innovative, whilst staying true to the original premise of the show, and keeps viewers tuning in with the quality of the production.

So, just saying XF is tired and old really isn't an excuse at all. The need to reinvent isn't absolute, the show just needs better producers who understand what Saturday night audiences actually want to watch. I struggle to fathom why they get BGT so right (most of the time!) and the audience responds by tuning in, and XF just flounders after every 'tweak' they make.

Kesha was on the panel of Rising Star US, maybe 2 summers back. The show was a complete flop. Kesha absolutely refused to criticize anybody. She kept saying she didn't want to crush their dreams.